GK World - First Order

One of my goals at New York Comic Con/New York Anime Festival 2010 was to shop! Yes, to buy items that one may not be able to find locally. Even though New York City has the Nintendo World Store, it does not always have the items that I desire. I have been searching and waiting patiently for Kirby plush toys, specifically Kirby Adventure plush toys that has individualized Kirby abilities.

During the convention, I browsed up and down the aisles in search of Kirby. However, it was not I that found the character. It was a friend of mine who spotted it, after a second browse. There in booth 3111 were KIRBYS! It housed the company GK World and the plushes on display were the Kirby Adventure Summer Time plushes! I seen the toys online, but pictures do not do it justice. Before I purchased the items, I spoke to one of their employees in hopes to clarify some things.

First, I asked if these are the only set of Kirby Summer Time plushes? His response to me was that these are sold separately. Then I rephrase my question, got the same answer, but later I realized we have two different understanding of the word “set.” Either that or I am really asking the wrong question. My friend clarified what my question was, and the man understood and said that these are the only four that came out. Even though the items were awesome, I did not want to buy ones that did not come in a bag. It is because the bag will keep the plush from getting dusty and dirty. So, the second thing I asked was do they have ones that comes in a bag? Guess what? The next time I went there, he had them in bags. (^_^) He did mention that he would go back to his warehouse and bring more items, so I guess he really did. (~_^)

Ok, why in the world am I telling you this? It is because of my initial in-person shopping experience that ultimately assisted in my decision to order from them online. However, like any online shopping, I checked to make sure that the method of payment is secure and will not be flying else where. The online store has a chat option, so I was able to ask all my questions related to ordering and the products. The individual, who helped me, was able to answer all my questions and gave me the confidence that I needed. Plus, it helps that the store was having an online sale and free shipping option.

While I was going through the ordering process, there was a section for special instructions. Since I ordered plushes, my request was to have each of it in a plastic bag to keep it clean during the shipping. To my surprise, when I opened the box, all the plushes were in plastic wrapping. One of them, looked like it was actually placed in a plastic bag. Nice, eh? Another unexpected package handling was the Sailor Moon stickers. Yes, those hard to find stickers. They were in an envelope that fit all the items without causing severe damage. I was actually quite please, because it shows how careful the company is in handling their products.

However, I did not receive all of my purchased items. One of the items, Vampire Knight Yuki Bracelet, was delayed on shipment, because it was on back order. Since I placed my order as a whole, I just wanted to make sure that I would not get charged twice or I could possibly get a refund, if the bracelet was unavailable. Thank goodness for the online chat service. The same customer service individual came to my rescue! In the end, the item did come as scheduled. So, my purchase was complete with satisfaction.
© 2011 Linda Thai

Photography by Linda Thai